Don Granato took over the Buffalo Sabres' bench at one of the lowest points in franchise history.
Their 18-game winless skid, 14 of which occurred with Ralph Krueger as coach, set the longest mark of futility since the franchise's inception in 1970. There was no clear path to contention, and the key young players on the Sabres' roster were lacking confidence.
Granato, 55, quickly injected belief into his players, implemented an up-tempo, exciting style of play and gradually developed the Sabres' top draft choices into impact NHLers.
For his work in 19 months as coach, Granato was awarded Wednesday with a "multiyear" contract extension, the club announced. TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported that Granato is now under contract through 2025-26. Granato's first deal as coach ran through 2023-24.
In 110 games behind the bench, he's compiled a 41-55-14 record for a points percentage of .436. The franchise's progress under his watch, though, is best illustrated by the individual accomplishments by its cornerstone players and a memorable finish to the 2021-22 season.
People are also reading…
"When I was speaking to Terry (Pegula) regarding my own personal contract and my situation, one of the things that I discussed with him was how important Donnie Granato is to this franchise, and I really wanted him to be a priority as soon as we could get this done with me," Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams, who received a multiyear extension this summer, said. "We already talked about that before I signed my extension, and my priority turned to Donnie and how do we move forward and work out a deal that he’s going to be here a long time as well. I’ll also tell you it’s come up in negotiations with players."
In 2021-22, Granato's first full season as coach, Rasmus Dahlin emerged as a top defenseman in the NHL and received an All-Star nod while setting career highs in goals (13), points (53) and average time on ice (24:01). Tage Thompson transitioned to center in training camp, a move spearheaded by Granato, and delivered a breakout 38-goal season. Jeff Skinner returned to form with 33 goals.
Dylan Cozens, Mattias Samuelsson, Owen Power and Rasmus Asplund thrived. The Sabres' 229 goals scored were the most by the club since they last reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2010-11. Their signs of resurgence occurred following a tumultuous four months in which Adams traded former corps players Sam Reinhart, Rasmus Ristolainen and then-face-of-the-franchise captain Jack Eichel.
Granato's first full season as coach ended with 75 standings points, which ranked 24th among 32 NHL teams, but they were burdened by depth-depleting injuries and shaky goaltending. Once healthy in March, the Sabres ascended. The Sabres' points percentage (.625) from March 1 through the end of the season ranked 15th in the NHL during that span.
The club returned 19 of 23 players who were on the roster in the final weeks of last season. Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka graduated to Buffalo following remarkable rookie seasons in Rochester. The Sabres open the season Thursday night at KeyBank Center against Atlantic Division opponent, Ottawa.
